Regular readers may have seen a recent post where I reviewed a fabulous meal at a restaurant called Ascoughs.

It was a wonderful meal with a fantastic friend, Jane and every single mouthful was delicious and I knew that it wouldn’t be too long before I returned.

That opportunity came a couple of weeks later, when I asked my bestie, Helen if she would like to go out for a bit to eat. I put the idea of Ascough’s to her and she had heard of the restaurant from a mutual friend and said she would love to try it out.

Complimentary Bread

So, we booked for early on a Thursday evening and drove the 30 plus miles to Market Harborough where Ascough’s is based. On the way to the restaurant I shared with Helen what I had eaten on my first visit and told her that the menu changes monthly.

As it had been January when I had originally visited, it was the new February menu and I was super excited to see what was on offer and also what I wanted to try out.

On my previous visit I had opted for the ham hock terrine, pork fillet with lots of extra little touches, dauphinoise potatoes, seasonal vegetables and a tangy jus.

First Visit

For my dessert I dived into a condensed milk and pistachio parfait with roasted pineapple, coconut meringue shards and a white chocolate macaron.

In short it was bloody lovely!

Condensed Milk and Pistachio Parfait

This time there were so many options on the menu that I fancied and Helen and I debated for a little while as to what we would have and I decided that I was going to try a dish or two that I had never experienced before.

Firstly we were served with complimentary bread and flavoured butters, in this case it was herb bread and a foccacia, along with garlic butter and truffle butter.

I had ordered the same mocktail as on my first visit as it was pretty fantastic.

Marvellous Mocktail

Helen and I had been chatting about some of the ‘Intro’s’ and we had decided to share a portion of Crispy bacon ends with a smoked apple brown sauce.

There was something about the combination that really called out to us and we decided to blow caution to the wind and go for it. I have to say I am so thrilled that we did as they were out of this world!

The bacon ends were flavoursome, a little fatty like an excellent belly of pork and they were accompanied by the most special sauce. I can honestly say I had never had anything quite like it. Tangy but fruity, it was so good that I opted to keep it for the next few courses.

Burnt Ends

So, what exactly did I have as my starter course?

Well, it was a new experience as I ordered Beef Carpaccio, served with a beef and wasabi rillon, ricotta and pea pesto.

I knew the carpaccio was thinly beaten raw beef but I have never tried this or a steak tartare before so I decided to take the plunge and give it a go and I am so happy that I did!

Classy Carpaccio

My plate appeared with the thinnest slivers of beef, topped with portions of ricotta cheese, the pea pesto and two small ‘balls’ of beef and wasabi. Topped the plate was crispy onions and mixed leaf.

I dived in fully and I have to say it was melt in your mouth delicious. The beef was tender, tasty and really didn’t need any chewing. The ricotta was fresh with a little sour backnote, and the pea pesto was full of flavour and I could have eaten a whole plate of it.

The beef and wasabi rillon was something completely different to what I expected. The only way I could describe it, would be to say like a pulled beef croquette, with a mighty kick.

I absolutely loved them and felt they were good enough to have as part of the ‘intro’ list.

Moving onto the Main course, I went for another new experience; Venison.

Va-va-voom Venison

My choice was the delicious sounding Venison haunch, haggis and black pudding, beetroot, swede and carrot smash, brussels all rounded off with a tasty jus.

Previously mentioned, all the main courses come with dauphinoise potatoes and seasonal vegetables; broccoli, red cabbage, carrots and more. Absolutely divine and I really couldn’t wait to add my portion to the already great looking plate.

So, how was it?

Absolutely out of this world!

Magical Menu

The venison was as tender as a fillet steak, the haggis and black pudding were combined into a kind of stuffing which was moist yet crumbly. The plated vegetables were prepared in different ways, such as the charred brussels and beetroot puree underneath the venison chump.

I couldn’t get enough of the course and I have to say, it really was something special.

Moving on to the last course, I ummed and ahhhed about having dessert as I was quite full, but actually this was the course that I was looking forward to the most.

Having had the condensed milk and pistachio parfait last time, the prospect of a salted caramel parfait with an apple and Calvados doughnut, Granny Smith sorbet, Brandy snap and golden raisins sounded just too wonderful.

Perfect Parfait

And it really was!

Absolutely delicious, it had sweetness yet sharp flavours to balance it out. The parfait was smooth and creamy and I loved all the little extras, especially the mini doughnut that had a liquid filling.

Not a single bite was left and my tummy was pretty full as I scraped the plate clean.

Helen was in total agreement with me; she had loved the whole experience and when I mentioned about checking out the next months menu she seemed pretty keen.

All I can say is roll on March!

Till next time,

SPSG xxx